Sailing Destination Never Reached

As I was reading one of my blogging friends funny stories about boating, it reminded me of a funny sailing adventure I have to share.

Many years ago my husband and I fixed a friend up with a blind date. It's sort of funny how the blind date scenario was also somewhat prophetic of what turned out to be like a bad blind date with a sail boat! In a moment you'll see what I mean.

Our friend had a 28 foot sailboat and invited us to go out with him and so we fixed him up with a blind date with an acquaintance of mine. Prior to that time neither my husband or I had ever seen our friends sailboat. Not knowing what it looked like, or what type of sailboat he had, I simply figured that since it was a 28 footer it would of course have some modern conveniences. But, this was where the boat itself became like a bad blind date. It was far from our visions of grandeur!

We arrived at the marina in Gig Harbor where our friends sailboat was moored, only to discover the sailboat was not at all what we had envisioned. The sailboat turned out to be an old wooden racing sailboat wanna-be. In other words it was nothing more than a flat decked sailboat with no modern conveniences, and only a very small amount of storage beneath the bow! It was more like launching a raft, than a sailboat - lol. By now you get the drift (pun intended) when I said it was more like a bad blind date. Drift seemed to be the thing we could not do in the right direction!

Unfortunately we left too late and the sails were not large enough to work against the strong currents we encountered in Puget Sound. Our destination was to be Point Defiance State Park in Tacoma, Washington, but we never made it!

Armed with a cold bottle of champagne and too much beer, we also became in desperate need of the modern convenience that the sailboat was not blessed with! For the guys that was not such a problem, but for us gals -- well let me just say the space below the bow of the boat and Styrofoam cups were the combination to bring about relief for us ladies. Not my idea of a modern convenience!

Although we continued to pursue our destination, after many hours of trying to make it through the strong currents and wind, we gave up and decided to turn back. Of course once we turned back and we were then going with the current, we made it back to the marina in a jiffy. I still laugh about that sailing adventure today, and that we never made it to our destination, which really was not that far away!

Message in a Bottle

I'm sending out an SOS to the world and hope that someone gets my message in the bottle! Oh, I guess you're not looking inside a bottle right now, but instead at my blog! Well, at least I hope you're reading my message in the bottle -- or blog. By the way, would you mind floating this message in a bottle on over to some other people online to read about this?

Do you remember that song, "Message in a Bottle" from the Police? Yes, the police -- but not the kind of dudes who show up at your door wearing badges, uniform and ready to shoot you.

I must say I'm feeling somewhat old these days when I think about how young I was when that song was popular, but we won't get into that. The Police wasn't one of my favorite bands back then, but I did like Message in a Bottle and several other songs they wrote.

It seems the Police are looking to make a comeback, or simply don't want to be forgotten. They just released a double disk Police Cd on June 5th if you want to grab some of those (now old) songs among some newer ones. Plus, if you purchase the double CD you would even get a vintage poster! Yes, of course vintage, because that's how old the Police are and well, we won't talk any more about how vintage I am, but be sure to send off this message in a bottle -- blog. I'm just not sure how you would get a blog post into a bottle?

Puget Sound Lightning Storm

Yesterday afternoon we had quite a storm. Electrical storms are not too frequent where I live, but yesterday we were hit with at least three huge loud claps of thunder and lightning. The electricity blinked once and then we had a lighter clap of thunder more distant. It was quite loud to say the least, and I was glad to be indoors when it hit. Since it was during the day and I was indoors when it hit I didn't get a chance to see the lightning bolt other than catching it in my peripheral vision.

The rain was nice as it cleared the air and the ground was too dry so it was good to have the rain, but yikes -- the thunder and lightning storm in the bay was quite an event and it would not have been a good time for anyone to be out on the water.

Para Sailing in the Sand

Para sailing looks quite fun! I've never tried it and I'm not sure I ever would. I have to commend this lady for giving it a go, but her para sailing adventure was quite embarrassing!

In addition to the clumsy act being caught on video, she probably experienced a bad case of sand burn after this adventure!

Unfortunately after watching this I'm feeling even more doubtful about ever giving this a go -lol. Ouch!

Sorry, but video is no longer available.

Sailing Vacations in Australia

If you're looking for warmer weather sailing, you may wish to plan a sailing vacation trip to Australia and enjoy their beautiful sparkling blue seas. In Melbourne, AU you would find Williamstown to be a great destination for your yachting or sailing pleasures. The nearest marina there is Parsons Marina and from there you're ready to set sail!

Just look at that inviting blue water there in Williamstown! It's picture perfect and there's plenty of places to stay if you need good accommodations in Melbourne.

As I'm sharing this information with you about Melbourne, Australia I'm looking out our window at a cloudy overcast day, and the waters here in the Puget Sound are quite gray and cold, so to me the blue waters and blue skies there in Australia are looking quite inviting! Oh how I wish I could be there now.

Have fun if you decide to take a trip to Australia and if you go sailing in Melbourne have a wonderful time in the land down under!

Sailing in Amsterdam

Planning to take a sailing vacation? With so many destinations to choose from it certainly can be a difficult choice. Tropical waters often come to mind first, but if you are into wonderful architecture too, a destination such as Amsterdam is filled with interesting architecture combined with many canals to explore.

There are many hotels to choose from and one area of interest is the popular, Floating Flower Market! The Floating Flower Market is a unique set of permanently moored barges featuring not only flowers from around the world, but also some great places to stay. For starters, you could do an easy map search to locate where you would like to stay.

If you love the thought of combining your sailing vacation along with an architectural adventure, you would find the two perfectly combined in an Amsterdam destination of your dreams, and plenty of tourist attractions to choose from! Happy Sailing!

Seaside Underwater Restaurant

This is really an amazing restaurant! The dining area is completely underwater so it's like eating surrounded by a giant aquarium! The restaurant is 16' below sea level at the Hilton Maldives Resort.

The only thing one has to wonder is if you would feel guilty eating fish as they stare at you through the looking glass! If you do a search online, the photos are amazing at making you feel you are right there so swim on over there to take a look at the wonderful underwater restaurant.

Sailing to Beach Sandcastles

You'll have to turn your speakers up for this one as you sail off to the beach of your dreams with sandcastles.

As you know some kids never grow up and if you want to build the sand castle of your fantasies you can do that with virtual sand castle, plus it's a kid safe zone too! This is the castle I just created! You can even save it as a wallpaper image!


With this ultra cool site you can first begin by selecting your beach.

Then you create a castle, which comes in various shapes of sand to choose from, and you can select items such as seagulls, beach balls, star fish and other beach accessories.

To create the sandcastle card you simply drag and drop the pieces on the beach; making it the easiest sand castle you have ever built! I promise you with this one you won't even get covered with sand, and you won't have any grit between your teeth! Once you place the sand castle pieces on the beach they are built up to create your sand castle of your dreams!

With the virtual sandcastle you can even color the sand castle if you wish, and don't forget to water it! If you make a mistake with the placement of a section of the sand castle you once again simply drag and drop it to relocate it. Oops, did you pick the wrong section of sand castle? Simply select to delete, send it to the foreground or background. When you're finished then preview your castle creation and send it to a friend.

Do you love building Sandcastles? You can build one of your dreams with far less work as you create a card to send to a friend to perhaps say, "Bon Voyage"!

Sailing and Living on the Edge

These guys and gals are having a riot living on the edge! On the edge of their sailboat that is! Gotta love it as you watch them have fun. It looks like a blast and I think I just lost ten pounds watching these sailors living on the edge of the waves and their sails. Don't let the mast hit you in the head!

Sailing Into a Musical Summer

Are you ready for the summer and sailing off to a musical destination? I was just wondering if other people like myself that love the water are also lovers of music. To me water, music and romance all seem to go together! I just learned about this website with concert tickets!

While you're planning your sailing vacations don't forget the concert tickets to experience the musical adventure of your dreams! It has been ages since we've purchased concert tickets, and summer just seems to be the perfect time to go out for a concert.

From there you can check out the "hot concerts" "spotlighted events" and even the current games, theater events and so on. Perfect for a sports enthusiast as well, which of course if you're into sailing you may also be into other sports.

When you go to Ticket Solutions you can also run a filter to select exactly what seats you want and the cost for those seats. It's very easy to use and will make quick work of selecting your tickets if you're in a hurry too!

Hurry now and plan your sailing adventures and while you're at it cruise on over to their site to plan the musical or sport event of your dreams to add a fun event to your sailing vacation!

Rugged Sailing Equipment

When preparing for a sailing trip there are some things that are essential, and then there are things you would like to take just for fun. When going out in rough water planning ahead is important to make sure the equipment and gear you take will be able to endure the environment and surroundings.

There's one piece of equipment you may want to include in your list, but perhaps have opted not to include due to potential water damage, and being too delicate for the ride on the waves. This may surprise you, but for those of you who are up on the latest technology this may not be news to you.

Either way, a rugged laptop for sailing may become one of the most important pieces of rugged equipment you would like for your sailing adventures. Check it out for yourself! It's one cool piece of rugged equipment that every savvy sailor will need, and I was surprised to see the prices are really not that bad. It seems to be the perfect rugged sailing item for a trip!

Hawaiian Sailing Vacations

Wow, what a view! Imagine sitting there in your Hawaiian beach rental with your favorite beverage as you prepare to set sail into the wonderful blue waters! Just makes you want to dive in right now, doesn't it?

Now here's one place that would be so incredible to stay! The Menehune Shores Kihei Maui condominiums have awesome views right there on the water! Blue skies, blue water and palm trees will surround you along with a peaceful breeze. Oh, I wish I was there now! I could really enjoy a rest in a hammock at sunset looking at that view.

Visiting an online vacation site is the simplest way to plan a customized trip to the beautiful Hawaiian Islands. You can quickly plan a trip from anywhere on the Internet. It sure saves time and takes the guess out of wondering what your accommodations would be like when you arrive. Hawaiian Beach Rentals offers accommodations such as vacation homes, condos and hotels, as well as airfare and car rentals if you're wanting to travel to Hawaii. But, hey -- what about the boats?

Recent efforts in Hawaii have focused on ecotourism to protect their valuable environmental assets while luring savvy travelers to experience the raw beauty of a Pacific Island. So, what are we waiting for? It's a good time to plan a trip for sometime like in November when it's rainy and cold here. That's when the blue waters of the Pacific would really be a treat! If you really need to be spoiled you may wish to purchase a Maui condo for living year-round in paradise! Bon voyage!

Cutty Sark Clipper Fire!

In late May, tragedy struck the British Cutty Sark clipper ship as it was destroyed by fire. A 19th century merchant ship, the Cutty Sark was the last vessel of its kind from that era.

The Cutty Sark was undergoing a complete renovation when the fire broke out. Due to this fact it was fortunate that some of the historic parts of the clipper ship were not in the fire, and they were well preserved. Fortunately, the ship's bow and stern is also intact. The video provides the details and footage of the terrible fire.

Sailing the World - Blind!

Yes, you read that title correctly! Sailing can be a very dangerous sport as it is, but I cannot imagine increasing that danger by sailing if you're blind! This couple is amazing to me with their determination to maintain their independence regardless of the fact that they're blind.

Sailing in fog can be quite concerning in itself and feels strange to not be able to see, but again sailing while blind -- they are very brave! If it weren't for instruments to help guide their way, I have to wonder if they would have pursued their dream.

Unfortunately, the video story about the couple sailing blind was no longer available, so I removed the video from this article.

Sailing With Life Preservation

Wordless Wednesday

Catamaran Surf Sailing

Catamaran sailing is one form of sailing that I would love to do, but it is obviously a sport that takes practice and would require a great deal of stamina. Unfortunately like many things in life I don't see that it would be something I would be able to pursue. It sure looks fun though! I guess you could say that for now it's in my wildest dreams. This is a great video of catamaran sailing! Surfs up as you enjoy the video.